President Donald Trump defended the U.S. military campaign against Iran today following the deaths of two American service members, saying they gave their lives to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Speaking with The New York Post as the United States launched a new round of retaliatory strikes, Trump warned that failing to stop Iran could plunge the Middle East into a much broader conflict.

About an hour after the latest bombing campaign began, Trump called the deaths of the two troops “a shame” but insisted the military operation remains essential.

“They did it because they don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of the troops. “… And it just shows you how bad [the Iranians] are.”

The two service members were killed Friday during an Iranian missile and drone assault on Muwawffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. One additional American remains missing, while at least four others were injured in the attack.

Asked whether he intended to personally contact the families of the fallen troops, Trump answered immediately.

“Of course I will. I always do. Yeah.”

At approximately 6 p.m. Saturday, U.S. forces launched another wave of airstrikes targeting Tehran, while additional American warplanes were reportedly being rushed to the Middle East.

According to U.S. Central Command, the strikes were intended to further weaken Iran’s ability to “threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

CENTCOM also said the latest attacks were aimed at delivering a swift response against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Earlier in the day, Trump told NewsNation that he “couldn’t care less” about Iran’s announcement that it was withdrawing from the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, adding that the fallen Americans died “in service to their country.”

Following those remarks, the Pentagon dispatched additional combat aircraft to the Gulf region, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reported that F-16 fighter jets are being deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, while F-35 stealth fighters are heading to the region from an American air base in Britain. Additional aerial refueling aircraft had already been sent to the area in recent days.

Trump also pushed back against Democratic lawmakers who blamed his administration for the deaths of the two service members.

“Have you ever asked how many people died in Vietnam? Have you ever asked how many people died in Afghanistan in one day? In one day — run by Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump said.

“This is two wars we’re talking about: Venezuela and this. And it’s a shame, but in this case, they died because they don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon and they don’t want to see the Middle East blown up.”

While Republican lawmakers urged Americans to pray for the fallen troops, several Democrats argued that the deaths demonstrated the need to end U.S. military involvement in the region, contending that the casualties could have been avoided.

“This is the cost of President Trump’s needless war,” wrote Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.).

“This country owes a debt that can never be repaid, but we can prevent more tragic loss of life,” Rep. Herb Conaway (D-N.J.) posted to X.

“I demand that Trump end this war that he started and Republicans in Congress do the same. Enough is enough.”

Trump has repeatedly maintained that preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power is a vital American national security objective, arguing that a nuclear-armed Iranian regime would destabilize the region and pose a grave threat to U.S. allies.

The two Americans killed in Friday’s attack are the first U.S. military fatalities since President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran to be over last week after Tehran targeted three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Under the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that established the ceasefire, Iran had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. U.S. officials contend that Tehran failed to fulfill that commitment, prompting the resumption of military operations.

{Matzav.com}